Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-16

shocks that il now formed shallow bash
instead Of raised plain Is before.
Thus much for the tradition; whether
or not ii is all true do not know, mol
does any other living man, but evidence o.
the truth of part Of It at least remains,
Of which there can be no doubt. There i
the strange old building and the wide ex,
panse of marsh and mire, in which the
Oldest inhabitant has seen no particle Of
vegetation grow, and in which stand the
naked. dead, tree-trunks, with cleaning
arms outstretched like an arms Of specters.
This much, at least, is true, however II
NAV have been brought about
The nearest residence to the Dead
Lands0 is that. of Mr.. Gade Lee Bailey,
than whom no man stands higher In the
country, and whose word is considered as
good as his bond. About two weeks age
he had been detained in Adairville rather
late at night and arrived at home shortly
after midnight. He had been to the barn
TO put up his horse, and was walking slow
ly toward the house when he was startled
by the peal Of bell, distant, clear,
peal following peal IN regular
anu CtAuCuNC- ANhSU
ing that the nearest church was seven
miles distant and that the tones were too
full and deep for farm bell, his curiosity
was aroused, and after listening few mo-
ments he determined to investigate the
matter. Going to the stable, he saddled a
fresh horse and started off in the direction
whence the sound of the belt proceeded.
After riding slowly for some minutes, he
became conscious of the fact that he was
going in the direction ofthe dead Lands. I"
Immediately it occurred to him that 1T
must be the old bell in the stone church,
though be had lived there over thirty
years and had never known it to be rung
before. His approach to the edge of the
swamp lay through dense wood, and
when he reached the opening that gave q
view of the old church, the scene which
met his vision was one calculated to chill
the bravest heart. Standing near the
edge Of the swamp, the church is only about
$50 yards distant, theinside of the building
being plainly visible through the large
doorway. The church was filled with a
fierce red light which streamed through
the open windows and out onto the black
waters of the swamp. Grouped IN front OF
the stone altar were q dozen, or perhaps
more, figures which Mr.. Bailey was un-
able 70 describe intelligently. From his
imperfect description, however, it seems
that they were dressed in long, flowing
white garments which chung closely to
skeleton forms. The faces of the figures
were concealed from view by black hoods
which reached down to the shoulders. All
Of the body that was visible were the long
heshIess fingers that extended beyond the
sleeves OF the robes. Lying uear the altar
on what appeared to be stone table lay
figure dressed as the Others, except entirely
in white, and perfectly motionless. While
he stood gazing in awful fascination upon
the strange and unnatural scene, the
figures stretched ont their arms over
the PROSTATE form and began to
move them slowly hack and forth, keeping
time to the mournful tolling Of the church
hell, and then commenced to move slowly
in q circle around the tabls. When they
had completed the circle third time they
suddenly stopped, and, as if by preeOn-
certed movement, knelt about the table.
Then the bell ceased tOlling and simulta-
neOusly the light was extinguished and
the silence of death reigned over the scene.
Mr.. Bailey says that up to this time he had
succeeded in controlling his horse, but as
the lights went out he wheeled and dashed
through the woods at break-neck speed.
He reached home in safety, however, and
related what had passed to his wife. At
first she refused to believe him and attri
buted it to a arrangement of his nerves,
bul when he became so earnest she
was compelled, as all Others have
been whom he has told, to accept what
he said rs the solemn truth. They thought
it best not to speak of the matter at once,
however, for fear of being laughed Mt, but
il weighed so on their minds that finally
they told one or two in confidence, which
Of course secured its liberal advertisement,
and now it is the talk of the whole eoun-
try. The place which heretofore was
hardly ever thought of is now visited daily
by crowds of the curious and incredulOus,
and the ghoul-disturbed district is all agOg
with excitement. Others heard the tolling
of the bell, but were not sufficiently inter
ested to do as Mr.. Bailey did, or doubt
less they would have had similar expert
ence.
The question seems to be, was it or not
the work of the supernatural? with public
opinion largely in the affirmative theory.
II, on the other hand, it was the.wOrk of
human hands, what was their purpose and
how did they get out to the church through
the guagmire? Since the news has got
abroad the roads near the swamp are
Stunned rs If it were pestilence, and the
negroes in the neighborhoOd cannot be in
duced to 90 out at all after dark. Nothing
that ever occurred in the county has
equaled it in point of supernatural mystic
and the Ghosts of the Dead
Lands" are talked of in every household.